Following our post (see below) on a Fars News Agency report about Hamas extending an invitation to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to visit the Gaza Strip, we were finally able to get in touch with Hamas official Dr. Ahmed Yousef.

Yousef told us that in fact no written invitation had been made to the Iranian leader and that his comments to the news agency had been misunderstood.

Yousef said President Ahmadinejad was indeed welcome to come to the Gaza Strip as were all Arab and Muslim leaders to see the impact of the Israeli and Egyptian blockade.

He said this blanket invitation was made through the Arab League and the only leader who had responded thus far was the organization's secretary-general, Amr Moussa, who visited Gaza this past June.

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However, Dr. Yousef has recently circulated a booklet revising the history of Shiite Islamist (Iranian) and Muslim Brotherhood ties, with particular emphasis paid to their shared objectives in the formation of a World Islamic Caliphate and the destruction of Israel.

It is not a surprise that the Arab League is probably speaking on behalf of the Gazan regime since it is the League who makes all decisions in the region and is responsible for the fact that there was never yet another Arab state created in 1948.

Since Iran is not Arab and is usually at loggerheads with the Arab League, it is far more likely that Hamas leaders in Damascus, who are in regular contact with their master in Tehran, would have issued a direct invitation without informing Dr. Yousef who they consider a "moderate".

Filipe

November 10th, 2010 6:09 pm ET

Oops !!! Sorry, Just Kidding !!!!

ah ha ha ha ha ha ha !!!!!

linda herzberg

November 11th, 2010 11:54 am ET

tell me who your friends are and I tell you who you are.

obulor

November 12th, 2010 5:18 am ET

now is a matter of inviting Ahamadinejad of Iran to come through a blank invitation and most of the Arab leaders are finding difficult to come to Gaza but can stay in their safe heaven lies places to engineer problems Hamas and group to fight mujaheddin war for defending there father land and while children and women are dying for the sake of something that is so trivial in my own opinion is high time Hamas should know that the Arab world did not mean good for the Palestinians not even Hezbollah of lebanon and their associate motivator so please hamas be careful and also cautious of infiltrators

KingCyrus

November 12th, 2010 4:08 pm ET

Israel your messiah is hear...listening "Ezekiel 7:1-13"

Smith in Oregon

November 20th, 2010 5:12 am ET

A often repeated Zionist Israeli Lie – "Ahmadinejad has called for wiping Israel from the face of the earth". Don't you people realize that News is a way for Governments and Business Leaders to manipulate people into acting as desired ? Verify the info !

Ahmadinejad did not use that phrase in Persian. He quoted an old saying of Ayatollah Khomeini calling for ‘this occupation regime over Jerusalem” to “vanish from the page of time.’ Calling for a regime to vanish is not the same as calling for people to be killed. Ahmadinejad has not to my knowledge called for anyone to be killed.

Two otherwise well-informed Israeli historians a couple of weeks ago, expressed the conviction that Ahmadinejad had threatened to nuke Israel. First of all, Iran doesn’t have a nuke. Second, there is no proof that Iran even has a nuclear weapons program. Third, Ahmadinejad has denied wanting a bomb. Fourth, Ahmadinejad has never threatened any sort of direct Iranian military action against Israel. In other words, that is a pretty dramatic fear for educated persons to feel, on the basis of . . . nothing.

documents for research:
ahmadinejad-i-am-not-anti-semitic.html

bush-lies-about-iran-on-now-ruz.html

John A

November 22nd, 2010 9:09 am ET

Smith,

Here's the irony; If you claim no country should bomb Iran without hard proof, Israel and America will claim you support terrorism.

It seems according to Israel and America, bombing civilian without proof their country has committed any crime whatsoever is totally acceptable. And asking for real reasons why Iran should be bombed is to support terror.

Basically its like Hitler claiming that if you oppose him you must be a terrorist.

miriam

November 23rd, 2010 1:52 pm ET

Smith and John A,

So calling for the elimination of the one Jewish state, whose existence is legitimate based on religion, culture and history as well as international law and legal treaties and declarations is less distasteful than genocide?

Never mind the fact that the English translation came from the official state-backed news agency of Iran. However much you want to argue about semantics, Ahmadinejad's frequent and repeated comments about Israel are abhorrant and only defended by the morally corrupt and anti-semitic/Zionist (can't mention the word" Israel") bigots.

Iran's claims to have never attacked another country are a poor attempt at hiding its enormous, fat tenticles that reach into all surrounding states supporting terrorism and genocide of various populations. You may insist he hasn't called for anyone to be killed, but he's committing the crime anyway, deceiving you all on that matter as well as others.

The only "hard proof" that Iran has a nuclear weapon will become evident after it fires one. Meanwhile there is plenty of proof that Iran is engaging in illegal nuclear activity and its leaders do little to prove otherwise.

Neither the US or Israel wants to have to bomb anything in Iran and certainly not civilians. However, unlike you who seem to be convinced you have heard what hasn't been officially stated are running around like excited chickens putting out all the false evil propaganda before anything has happened, Ahnadinejad hasn't heard and isn't moved and continues to persue illegal nuclear activities and to export terrorism.

John A

November 24th, 2010 12:00 pm ET

Miriam says, So calling for the elimination of the one Jewish state.....
--------------------

Miriam,You open up with a massive lie and then expect to be taken seriously???

Iran has never stated it wants to wipe Israel of the map. That was a Jewish translation made for US media hype.

Iran states it wants the Zionists to fall from the page of history.

Equivalent would be for asking for Nazis to fall from the page of history. Very different from asking for Germany to be wiped out.

Luckily most people gain their news from the Internet as they are sick of mainstream Jewish owned media lies!!!

But it is the duty of all honest citizens to confront liars like Miriam, wherever they exist.

miriam

November 24th, 2010 7:30 pm ET

John A,

So you foresee the elimination of the Zionists but the survival of the Jewish state?

You never read anything anyone writes but just imagine to see what you want to read.

The Iranian, official, state-backed translation generated the language which, whatever way it is interpreted, calls for the disappearance of the Jewish state.

In other words, the only Jewish state, re-established legally and based on undeniable history and the national right for self-determination, should cease to exist, to be replaced by a province of the Islamic Caliphate that will treat non-believers as stated in the Koran.

You agree with the calls for Israel's destruction, re-invent ol;d fantasies and libels against Jews and support the denial of facts from Jewish history.

And then you wonder why you are accused of being anti-semitic.

John A

November 25th, 2010 5:21 pm ET

Some how Miriam now thinks making a correct tranlation is an anti-semitic act.

And no I dont wonder why people like her call me anti-semitic. She has no real defense for Israels crimes and so she always plays this pathetic card.

Miriam lets try again as you are lost in your own paranoia!

Miriam you said, "So calling for the elimination of the one Jewish state....."
------–

Miriam,You opened up with a massive lie and then expect to be taken seriously???

Iran has never stated it wants to wipe Israel of the map. That was a Jewish translation made for US media hype.

Iran states it wants the Zionists to fall from the page of history.

Equivalent would be for asking for Nazis to fall from the page of history. Very different from asking for Germany to be wiped out.

Luckily most people gain their news from the Internet as they are sick of mainstream Jewish owned media lies!!!

But it is the duty of all honest citizens to confront liars like Miriam, wherever they exist.

miriam

November 28th, 2010 3:01 pm ET

John A,

If you repeat a lie enough times it will be perceived as the truth.

This is a recognized tactic of some in this world.

Perhaps you want to reproduce your lies a few more times since it they are not very convincing.

John A

December 7th, 2010 4:14 pm ET

Miriam, do you really think people dont see through you and Israel.

But you are wrong. Israel has repeated its lies for 60 years and the world is now awake to this. Israel can lie for another 60 years, but its propoganda will never be perceived as truth

jcpa

December 12th, 2010 12:22 pm ET

John A – here are some quotes from Ahmadinejad
just in case you cant understand the farsi:
I really can see how you could understand this in a different way...

"Our dear Imam [Khomeini]
ordered that this Jerusalemoccupying regime [Israel]
must be erased from the
page of time. This was a very
wise statement."

"Soon this stain of
disgrace will be cleaned
from the garment of
the world of Islam, and
this is attainable."

"In the Middle East, they [the
global powers] have created
a black and filthy microbe
called the Zionist regime, so
they could use it to attack
the peoples of the region,
and by using this excuse,
they want to advance their
schemes for the Middle East."

Over the past several years, Iranian leaders – most prominently, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
– have made numerous statements calling for the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people. Some of these
statements have been interpreted by certain journalists and experts on Iran to be simple expressions of
dissatisfaction with the Israeli presence in the West Bank or eastern Jerusalem, or with the current Israeli
government and its policies.

Welcome to the Inside the Middle East blog where CNN's journalists post news, views and video from across the region. This is also a place where you can start the discussion so please keep your comments coming. We highlight not only current news stories but also anecdotes and issues that don't always make the top of the headlines.